


Pretenda Pox

by just_a_hungry_author



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, It only happens like four times it’s not that’s bad, Mild Swearing, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Sick Peter Parker, Sickfic, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, faking sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:15:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22600849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_hungry_author/pseuds/just_a_hungry_author
Summary: Peter took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say.It wassohard to get the words out.They were right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it.He wouldn't."Pete," Tony said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"Peter took a deep breath. "Okay."Peter fakes sick to get Tony’s attention, but the older man has a feeling something deeper is going on.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 233





	Pretenda Pox

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Karmaitis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20389435) by [whumphoarder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whumphoarder/pseuds/whumphoarder). 



> This is based off of a prompt that was actually sent into Whumphoarder, she wrote a fic about it called Karmaitis which is really good and you should all go read. This is my spin on the prompt (and may or may not be a way to get out my feelings about college), so please enjoy, and don’t forget to check out Whumphoarder’s work! 
> 
> Side note my narration and shifting thought is all over the place on this one and I’m a mess I’m sorry.

Peter sighed as he submitted his Orientation Leader application. 

" _Well_ ," he thought, “ _At least that's one more thing off the list_." 

He opened the calendar on his phone, looking at the week ahead. 

Almost each day for the next two weeks had something scheduled, some of them having three or four different events. 

Peter took a deep breath and closed the app. 

He could worry about that stuff after he moved back to college for the semester. 

For now... 

Peter opened FaceTime and tapped on Tony's name. 

He smiled when Tony answered the phone. 

The genius was in his lab, and offered a smile of his own.

"Hey, Mister Stark," Peter said happily, "You're still picking me up tomorrow, right?" 

Tony's smile faltered and his eyes widened.

 _Shit. Peter was coming over this weekend?_

He picked up the phone from where it was propped up on his desk and rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"Uh, yeah... sure Kiddo. But I might be a little late." 

Peter's own smile faltered a little as he quirked his head. "How come?" 

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Morgan has rehearsal for her dance recital, and then I have a business meeting after I drop her off." 

"Oh," Peter started, "Well that's okay, I can-"

"And then after the meeting I have to immediately go to pick her up, and then there's date night with Pepper." 

This time, Peter's smile completely dropped. "Oh." 

"You can still come over," Tony supplied, trying to remedy the situation, "I'll have Happy come pick you up tomorrow afternoon if you want." 

"Sure," Peter started, "I mean, you're not too busy on Saturday, right?" 

"Well, Saturday I have a few meetings in the morning, and then a business lunch after those." Tony listed. "I also have to bring Morgan to a play date in the afternoon, and I have some work to do in the lab that I need to finish up." 

_Jeez, he was busier than he thought._

"But I'm all good for Sunday!" Tony remedied, "...Except for Morgan's recital that evening." 

Peter suddenly felt really uncomfortable and awkward. 

It was odd, he hadn't felt that way since his first few interactions with Tony.

He didn’t like the feeling.

"Uh," Peter started, running a hand through his hair, "You know what, Mister Stark?" 

He paused the FaceTime, pretending to check his phone. 

Coming back on, he continued, "Ned's calling me... He's been trying to get me to help him with some stuff so I should probably see what he wants." 

"Oh, alright. Call me later then-"

"Yeah, okay, bye!" 

Peter hung up and lay back in his bed, covering his face with his hands. 

He just wanted to have a relaxing weekend with Tony. 

He wanted to watch Netflix and play video games and inevitably argue about what food to order, but now it sounded like not one of those things would be happening.

Rationally, he couldn't be upset.

Tony had his own life. 

He had a family and a career, of course he was a busy guy. 

So then, why did Peter feel this way? 

He wasn't sad, he wasn't mad... was it jealousy? 

Yeah, that seemed to fit. 

But what exactly did Peter have to feel jealous of? 

He loved Pepper and Morgan, they treated him like one of the family. 

He was even excited for Morgan's dance recital on Sunday, which Tony had invited him to weeks ago. 

So why was he jealous? 

With a sigh, Peter looked over at his phone, which had just vibrated. 

Picking it up, he saw a text from Tony. 

_Tony: Hey Kid. You never really answered my question. I'm sorry about this weekend but you can still come over if you want. Let me know, alright?_

Suddenly an idea sparked in Peter's head. 

He couldn’t get it out once he had recognized it, and it was strangely intriguing.

What was it Tony said he had to do? 

Drop Morgan off at dance rehearsal, a business meeting, and date night with Pepper? 

Then more business meetings and work in the lab, right? 

That wasn't too bad. 

Smiling, Peter typed out a response. 

_Pete: Hey Mister Stark, it's okay. Like I said, Ned was calling, he needed help getting through a level on a video game I already beat. Anyway, I'd still love to come over. What time did you say Happy will pick me up?_

Peter got a reply almost immediately. 

_Tony: He'll be there around three. I'm looking forward to seeing you._

_Pete: I am too, see you tomorrow!_

Peter smirked. 

He'd done this plenty of times before to get out of school, what was the difference now? 

If he played his cards right, he'd have Tony to himself for the whole weekend. 

As promised, Happy arrived at Peter's apartment at three in the afternoon the next day. 

Peter grabbed his bag and steeled his features, preparing to throw everything he had into this act.

Happy didn't say anything when Peter got in the car, as per usual. 

However, Happy was surprised with the silence _he_ was met with. 

Normally Peter ran his mouth as soon as he opened the door. 

Today, though, he was... quiet. 

Deciding to take the initiative, Happy greeted him first. 

"Hey, Kid."

"Hi, Happy." Peter mumbled. 

Happy glanced in the rearview mirror to find that Peter wasn't even looking up at him. 

He was leaning back in the seat, eyes closed.

"Are you alright?" 

Peter nodded without opening his eyes. 

"Just... tired. I think I'm gonna sleep for a little while." 

Happy couldn't help raising an eyebrow. 

"Alright... you do that."

Peter did actually manage to doze off, which helped his plan immensely. 

Hearing conversation as he woke, he kept his eyes closed. 

"He looks okay, but he was quiet and he knocked out immediately."

Peter couldn't hear a response, so he reasoned that Happy was speaking into his earpiece. 

"-I just wanted to let you know before he got there so it didn't catch you off guard." 

It was another few seconds before Happy spoke again. 

"Yeah, we're pulling up now, I’ll call you later." 

At that Peter sat up and stretched, pretending he had just woken up.

"What time is it?" He asked, trying to make his voice a little scratchier than normal. 

"It's almost four thirty." Happy replied, voice neutral. "We're just about there."

Peter nodded and hummed in response, settling back into the seat again. 

When Peter walked inside, he dropped his stuff off in his room and headed out to the lounge. 

Knowing that Friday was recording everything, he couldn't do anything too out-there, like play Just Dance or eat a bunch of junk food. 

He had to act sick, even though Tony wasn't there. 

Resigning to this fate, knowing he would soon reap the rewards later, he got settled on the couch. 

He pulled up Netflix, deciding to get caught up on Criminal Minds, and began to text Ned. 

He only had another hour or so until Tony would be back anyway. 

Then his plan would really begin.

When Tony arrived home an hour later, Morgan asleep in his arms, he was happy to see Peter on the couch. 

"Hey, Kiddo." He greeted with a smile. 

"Hi, Mister Stark." Peter mumbled.

Tony was taken aback. 

The teen hadn't even glanced up from the tv. 

"I'm gonna bring Morgan to her room and then we can talk, alright? I've got a couple hours until my date." 

Peter just nodded, again not looking away from the tv. 

Again not sure how to react, Tony began the walk to Morgan's room. 

Happy _had_ said the kid was acting strange earlier. 

On his way back to the lounge, he could've swore he heard coughing, but when he made it into the room, Peter was still laying back, watching tv. 

Tony shook his head and walked over to the couch, tapping the kid on the shoulder. 

"You hungry?" 

Peter shook his head. "Not really." 

This had Tony putting a hand to Peter's forehead immediately. "Are you feeling alright?" 

The action took Peter by surprise- he hadn't expected Tony to get that far that quickly.

He hesitated for a moment. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, eyebrow quirked. "Happy said you were kinda distant during the ride over." 

"Well," Peter started, "My throat's been kinda sore, and I've been kinda tired. But I'm alright, really." 

"So that was you coughing earlier?"

"I was coughing a little, but really Mister Stark, I'll be okay. Don't worry about me." 

Peter hesitated again. "You should go get ready for your date night."

Tony wasn't exactly sure how he knew, or why this was what tipped him off, but in that moment he knew Peter wasn't sick. 

Then a thought raced through head, and again, he wasn't entirely sure why. 

" _I'm not going to date night_." He thought. " _And I'm not going to tomorrow's meetings. Screw everything, it can all wait_." 

Deciding to play into the kid's sick routine, he put his hand back on Peter's forehead. 

"You're feeling a little warm, Bud." He started. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

"Mister Stark, I'm-"

Tony cut him off. 

"Open up your mouth and stick out your tongue." 

Peter furrowed his brow, but did as he was told. 

"Your throat is definitely red." Tony lied. "Have you been congested at all?" 

"Um," Peter hesitated, a little confused, "A little?" 

His plan was working, sure. 

But why had Tony bought into it so quick?

Tony shook his head. "These look like starting signs of strep, Kid." 

Peter's eyes widened. 

_I'm not actually getting sick, am I?_

"Really?" 

"Yeah," Tony replied, "And trust me, you're not gonna want to be alone once it really hits you."

Peter could only stare up at Tony in shock.

"Fri," Tony called, "Clear my schedule for tomorrow." 

"Mister Stark," Peter started, "You don't have to-"

"Nope." Tony said, cutting him off. "None of that tonight. I know you said you weren't hungry but we really should keep your energy up. You feeling up to some pizza?" 

"Uh... yeah. That'll be okay." 

Tony sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone.

"Alright." He started. "Pick a movie to watch. We probably won't be moving off this couch all night." 

Peter had to hide the smirk that was trying to make its way onto his face. "Sure."

After a very quick apology to Pepper, Tony ordered a few pizzas, had Pepper bring Morgan out for a Girl's Night, and spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch with Peter. 

They'd started out watching Star Wars, one of Peter's comfort movies. 

They then moved into the animated movies section on Netflix, watching Zootopia. 

Tony looked to the teen as Peter grabbed his fourth slice of pizza. 

He was looking increasingly less miserable as time went on. 

"So, you all set for next semester?" Tony asked. 

"Huh?" Peter started, the question catching him off guard. "Oh, uh, yeah." 

"How many credits are you taking again?" 

"Eighteen. That's all they allow." 

Tony hummed in response. "And the Orientation Leader application, how'd that go?" 

Peter sighed. "I submitted it yesterday, I should get an email in a few days about a time to set up an interview." 

"What about baseball?" 

"Tryouts are next week." 

"And debate team?" 

"Starts the day after I get back."

Tony chuckled. "You're a busy guy." 

"Yeah," Peter started, taking a deep breath. "I am." 

By the time it hit eight, both of the pizzas were gone, Peter having eaten most of it. 

He had somewhat abandoned his sick routine, which Tony picked up on.

When Peter went to the bathroom in between movies, Tony decided enough was enough. 

The teen appeared in the doorway, and Tony took his chance. 

"Your cough seems to have went away."

_Shit._

"What?" Peter asked, surprised. 

He muffled a fake cough. "Oh... yeah, it's been coming and going." 

Tony rolled his eyes mentally, because clearly Peter was going to try and keep this up. 

"Listen, kid. I know you're not sick." 

"What?" Peter started, panicking inside. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean your temperature's fine, your throat isn't red, and you don't have a cough. Correct?" 

Peter hesitated, because Tony knew. 

And even worse, and more confusing, Tony had played along. 

This was probably the most embarrassed Peter had ever been to admit something. 

"...Maybe." 

"So tell me then." Tony replied, patting the spot on the couch next to him. "What's going on?"

Peter sighed but sat down. "I don't know. It's complicated." 

"Just say it how you're thinking it." 

Peter took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. 

It was _so_ hard to get the words out. 

They were right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it. 

He wouldn't. 

"Pete," Tony said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" 

Peter took a deep breath. "Okay." 

"Well, everything's been really stressful lately with college and Spider-Man stuff and extra-curricular activities and just having a social life in general." Peter started. "It just feels like everything is kind of... closing in on me. Like I'm suffocating." 

Now that he was admitting how he felt, the anxiety was starting to build back up and he began to scratch at his arm. 

Tony noticed but didn't stop him like he normally would- he didn't want Peter to close back up.

"And it's not like I can't handle the pressure," Peter continued, "And of course I want to be doing this debate team and I want to apply to be an Orientation Leader and I want to play baseball... but so much is happening all at once." 

Peter stopped talking, but Tony could tell he was holding something back. 

The teen was still scratching his arm, and his eyes stayed glued to the floor. 

"There's more." Tony said. "Keep going." 

"And... and I'm going back to campus soon so everyone else is gonna be here and I'll be all the way out there by myself."

Suddenly Peter felt his eyes getting watery.

Trying to ignore it, he continued.

"And it's..." 

He took a moment to find the word, continuing to try and blink back the tears. "Lonely." 

Peter looked up, tears now freely making their way down his cheeks. 

"I miss you, Tony. We talk all the time while I'm at college and that's fine, but it's _so_ easy to get homesick. Especially when everyone else is here. You and Pepper and Morgan and..." 

He took a shaky breath. 

"And May. You're always talking about each other, especially you always saying what's going on with Pepper and Morgan... and I love them don't get me wrong. But it's just... it's really hard." 

Tony felt his heart melt. 

No wonder the kid was faking sick today. 

He just wanted to spend time with him. 

"Oh, Pete." 

Tony opened his arms, pulling Peter in for a hug. 

He felt his shirt start to get wet as Peter positioned his head in the crook of Tony's neck.

"-'m sorry." Peter said, voice slightly muffled. "I know it's stupid." 

"No, Kid." Tony consoled, "It's not. You're allowed to be homesick." 

"But I shouldn't have done this." Peter said, stifling a sob. "I made you miss your date night with Pepper, and Friday already told the people at your meetings tomorrow that you won't be there... that's not right. I can't make you put your life on hold for me. I'm not even your kid." 

Okay ouch. 

That one stung. 

"Peter," Tony started, gently pushing the kid off of him, "Even though we're not related biologically, you are one hundred percent my kid. In my eyes, you're as much my child as Morgan is. Family doesn't end with blood, and it doesn't start there either." 

"Second, you didn't put anything on hold. You think I wanted to go to those stupid business meetings? You did me a favor. And date night with Pepper can always be rescheduled. This isn't the first one I've missed." 

"Third, I need you to come to me with any problem you have. And I mean anything. You know I'm not gonna judge you. Even if it's as simple as missing me." 

He paused for a moment. "I'm flattered by the way." 

This earned a small smile from Peter, so Tony counted it as a win. 

He hugged Peter again, secretly wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. 

Peter let go after a few seconds, wiping at his own eyes with his sleeve.

"I'm still sorry." He said, sniffling.

"Don't worry about it, Kid." Tony said with a smile. "How about for tonight we order some more pizza and play some video games, and then tomorrow we can have a day out, okay? We can do whatever you want." 

"...Are you sure?" 

"One hundred percent." Tony replied. "And we'll have most of Sunday too, up until Morgan's recital."

"But Pepper and Morgan deserve to spend time with you too." Peter said, wiping his eyes again, "I can't take that away from them." 

"You're not taking anything away. I love Morgan and Pepper, but I see them every day. I only get to see my favorite young adult once in a blue moon." 

Peter gave a small smile.

Tony smiled back. "There's plenty of attention to go around." 

"So, we can really do anything tomorrow?" 

"Anything in the world, Pete." 

"Can we go play Laser Tag?" 

"Pretty sure that qualifies as anything." 

"And then race Go-Karts after?" 

"Kid, I want you to know that I'm going to say yes, but I want you to remember that I have a heart condition." 

"Yeah, but they're nowhere near as fast as the Iron Man suit."

"Touché." 

"And then after Go-Karts we can go to Dave and Busters." Peter continued. "And obviously win the biggest prize. And then after that we come back here and have a bonfire with s'mores and an ice cream sundae bar and a projected movie." 

Tony raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been thinking about this?" 

"Oh come on, Mister Stark." Peter said, his spark returning, "It's like _the_ perfect weekend." 

Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Like I said, Kid. Anything you want." 

"Well in that case," Peter began, "Right now I want to order more pizza and play video games like you promised." 

"I'm going to destroy you in Mario Kart." Tony replied. 

"Oh, it's on." 

While out at dinner with Morgan, Tony, and Pepper following the dance recital, Peter concluded that it was probably- no, definitely- the best weekend he'd ever had.


End file.
